OT: paging MAC expert(s) --- What's a Performa? - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

16 Nov 2001

...
 I've really never seen
anything involving hardware that could be done cheaply AND easily on a MAC.
Most things seem to be both insanely difficult and excruciatingly costly. 
I'll give you the expensive part (up until the latest machines with their 
USB, most mac hardware has been up to twice as much as the same thing on 
the PC). But EVERYTHING about Mac hardware is easy. Things just work.

...
 IIRC, I once ordered a simple router of some sort, a
PC/AT + "fancy" 
monitor +
HP LaserJet printer + extra LJ memory + software for MUCH (nearly half) less
than it cost to attach the half-dozen MAC's in our office to an Apple laser
printer.  Most of the cost for the Apple solution was for the Apple 
printer, of
course, but it still left quite a margin!  The fact that the Apple printer 
used
postscript probably contributed mightily to its cost as opposed to the 
LJII, but
it probably didn't cost that much.  I could have used a postscript 
cartridge, I
guess, but the software managed that problem. 
The postscript card probably would have been much cheaper. I don't recall 
if the HPLJII had provisions for adding localtalk or ethertalk, but there 
were boxes available back then that could provide it (plugged in to the 
parallel port). The two combined probably would have been cheaper than 
your PC + monitor. Which, of course, I won't argue was probably a cheaper 
solution than buying some of the Apple branded printers.

...
 I can see why the MAC users of the mid '90's
liked the MAC.  It shuts down 
right
away, as opposed to making you wait around to shut off the computer.  Of 
course,
I don't know how it behaves on a network.  I've read that the reason the PC
under Windows shuts down slowly is because it takes time to dismiss the 
various
connections, logical and physical on the LAN.  I'm not convinced, however, 
but
that's one excuse that's been published. 
Well, that is the advantage of using a GOOD OS (strictly speaking in 
comparison to Windows of the era, so compared to Win up to and including 
win95). Oh, and it behaves just fine with network connections (regardless 
of protocol)... far better than one would expect if you use Appletalk 
(once again... it just works... chatty, but works).

-chris

<http://www.mythtech.net>